Promises Made, Promises Kept? Vic High New Metric Track Now at Risk

September 23, 2020-  In the spring of 2018, Vic High students, alumni and many community voices came out in force to lend their support to ensure Victoria High School was not demolished.

Not only did we save the historical building, but additional funds were allocated for upgrades to the historical Memorial Stadium. Unfortunately, it seems we may all have rejoiced too soon. Here’s why.

Earlier this year, Esther Callo, the parent of two Vic High graduates, uncovered information that details how the promised metric track for Vic High is now at risk of being cancelled.

In her Op-Ed titled, “What happened to the promise of a metric track for Vic High?” published August 27, 2020 in Focus on Victoria, Ms. Callo details how part of the land, once allocated for the metric track, has now been promised to developers - negatively impacting the track and field activities intended for the students. https://www.focusonvictoria.ca/informed-comment/8/

More than five years ago, a $7 million upgrade was proposed for the track and field area of the stadium which had been nearly unusable for decades. This project was envisioned to include a lighted all-weather field, a fieldhouse and a new eight-lane metric track which would allow Vic High students to once again train to competitive standards, and for the school to host sanctioned events like the Island track and field championship.

The Vic High Alumni Association spearheaded a fundraising campaign for Phase 1 of the unfunded portion of the project.  Based on recent Time Colonist reporting, $600,000 was raised including $150,000 from alumni, another $100,000 was provided by the Bays United Football Club and the City of Victoria promised a matching grant of $250,000.

Securing the funds for Phase 1 meant that construction could begin, and the land use reserved.  Why is the metric track now under threat?

If Ms. Callo’s reporting is accurate, city officials and key members of the Great Victoria School District made an under the radar deal to exchange land for monies in relation to a housing project envisioned for the land once occupied by Vic High’s Fairy Tech building.

Either by mistake, incompetence or deliberate intent, the development proposed never took into consideration the land area already committed to Vic High for the metric track. And without Ms. Callo’s thorough investigation, no one would be the wiser until it was too late to rectify the issue. With the facts now out in the open, those in decision-making positions need to fix the problem.

This latest shenanigan underscores a more systemic reality. For decades now, Vic High has been getting the short end of the stick when other schools in the district have been advantaged through purposeful decision making.

It’s difficult to fully convey this reality unless you’ve experienced it as I did in the mid-1980s and by subsequent generations through to today. Vic High educators, students and their parents have had to continually battle to have our so-called “inner-city” school (laughable)  treated with equality in terms of resource support, and to have arbitrary catchment policies modified so that Vic High could once again be the destination school for students living in local communities and neighbourhoods.

Students who should have attended Vic High were attracted by the “shinier” schools with better-funded sports, arts and academic programs - schools like Mt. Doug, Spectrum and Oak Bay. This had an effect of hollowing Vic High in many ways.

Oak Bay High School, our historical “rivals”  on the field of play for more than a century, serves a small population of only 18,000 residents. They seemingly have never had problems getting funding for what they’ve needed or wanted- including an ultra-modern school rebuild with a performing arts centre (partially funded with community dollars), and college-like athletic facilities with a state-of-the-art, artificial turf field- a recent repair alone costing nearly $400,000.

Just two years ago, Vic High coaches had to beg for funding for uniforms for the school’s championship basketball team – the monies eventually secured with support from private benefactors. As we know, sports uniforms are important symbols of school pride – they act as a rallying point for students pushing on to achieve collective and individual success and contribute to forming community. Why is the Vic High community treated so poorly?

With an election now looming in BC for October, I also wonder who will point out the ridiculous fact that private schools in BC are subsidized by taxpayer monies – the total financial support estimated at nearly $500 million dollars a year.  Why is this huge amount of money not simply put into the public system to enhance opportunities for students in schools like Vic High? Shameful.

If it wasn’t for our forceful opposition to the School District’s original strategy and tactics regarding the Vic High seismic improvement project, it’s clear the powers that be would have had no qualms in using the wrecking ball to raze our school’s proud 144-year history.

Two weeks ago, I emailed the Vic High Alumni Association asking them what role, if any, they played in the metric track’s “land for dollars” deal, and what they were planning to do to help find a solution. I received a pleasant email from Donna Lomas, the Alumni Chair, but with my central questions unanswered.

So, our battle continues. It seems we need to get the word out again so that Vic High students, alumni and the broader community it serves can chime in and make sure that the commitments that were made years ago are kept.

Please SHARE this on social media, email your government representatives, the school district, the Vic High Alumni association and your media contacts. Let’s make some noise. Go Totems!

Thank you,

Stephen Dorsey

Vic High 84

stephen@dorseystudios.ca